Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, LinkedIn is a great platform to generate sales. So it’s definitely worth the time developing your profile, presence, and personal brand. But where do you start?
Make sure all your information is correct, and up-to-date
We’ve all heard the horror stories about people who have been locked out of their LinkedIn accounts just as they’ve tried to update their profile before a job interview. So, make sure your profile is always updated when anything relevant happens.
In your LinkedIn profile, include as much detail as possible about what you do and what you can offer potential customers or clients. Also, fill in as much detail as you can about your previous experiences, but don’t go too crazy, you don't need to list absolutely everything, especially if it's not relevant to the work you're currently doing or looking to do.
But first, let me take a selfi- respectable, and smart profile picture
We’re sure that you and Tina from school look great on a night out, but this isn’t Facebook. Get a profile picture that’s clear, professional, and represents you. For example, if you’re applying for a creative role, something bright and fun would work well. However if it’s something more corporate based, then maybe go for a professional headshot.
Why not use this as an opportunity to take LinkedIn’s new photo editing feature for a spin?
Talk of the office? Get it on paper
Well, get it on the computer. Ask for a recommendation or endorsement from your colleagues and clients.
Endorsements are super easy, simply click, and done. Recommendations can be a bit harder to get, but mean a lot more. Especially if you’ve got any big-name clients, or anyone who really really loved your service (or even you). And if you’re too shy to ask, head over to their profile, click the three dots on the top right hand corner and request one.
Include ya publications
LinkedIn allows you to include links to your published work, use this to show what you’re capable of! Upload presentations, videos, and projects to your profile. You can also upload blogs, to show your potential clients what an expert you really are.
Join in the conversation
So your profile is all ready to go. Now we wait for the leads to roll in, right? Wrong. Spend a little time on your newsfeed everyday talking to people, whether it’s simply an opinion, or something you can help out with.
Although, avoid unsolicited selling. Think of it as a networking event, you wouldn’t walk in, put your card in everyone’s hand, take a croissant and then leave. Spend some time in conversation with potential clients, be genuinely interested in what they are doing, and highlight how you can help when the time is right.
Quality content
Make the most of how easy it is to get organic reach through LinkedIn. Whenever someone likes, comments, or shares your content on LinkedIn, it will appear in their connections’ newsfeed as if they were following you themselves. Whereas on Facebook, posts will only show up in friends’ news feeds if the content has been shared.
Good content, on any platform, can help to generate leads for you and can show up in search engine results, and LinkedIn is no exception.
Using LinkedIn to generate business does require some effort, but it needn’t be a big job. Spending a few minutes each day interacting and engaging will be worth it in the long run!
Want to find out more on how to ramp up your sales through social media? Book your free BoffinBulb today.